Monday, December 29, 2008

On the infamous "Day Eight" I spent the afternoon with my parents. We went out for a late lunch and then to a fun flea market. The weather was calling for freezing rain and sleet, so Mom said we should stop by the store on the way home. She didn't want to drive the next day. We were in fact iced in for most of the next day.

Once we were at Kroger we decided to divide up to make the trip quicker. I headed down the baking aisle for syrup. As I was deciding on a pancake topping the lady behind me asked if I shopped at that store often. I giggled because it sounded like a pick-up line but for the fact we were in a grocery store and it was a grandmother asking. Little did I know.

The lady told me she was looking for one last ingredient for a dish she was preparing for a family meal. I explained that I did not know the store well or the town well. The sweet lady asked why I was so unfamiliar. I told her I had just moved from Nashville, TN (not to be confused with Nashville, AR). My new acquaintance smiled and began to tell me about a family from Nashville that goes to church with her. I told her I had heard of the family because I was visiting FBC with my family while I was in town.

We then exchanged a few more pleasantries before I left with my syrup. I asked for her name. Mrs. Burns was a delightful woman. As I was turning to leave she asked me if I was married. Since we had been talking about church I assumed she was still on that line of thinking. I told her I was single, and that prompted her next question, "How old are you?" When I told her I was 41 she stared at me with wide eyes. (I have to admit that I LOVE that response.) She said, "Heavens child, I thought you were going to say 25. I have a grandson I wanted to introduce you to." Still smiling from her surprise I began to laugh when she told me she wanted to set me up with her grandson. She told me not to laugh because she was serious. She told me she thought I was cute, and she wanted a cute wife for her grandson so she could have cute great-grandchildren. She then told me that what she wanted most was a godly woman.

I must say that by this time I was feeling quite good. This woman was full of compliments. We said our goodbyes and I left. Upon exiting the aisle I saw a manager and asked where Mrs. Burns missing ingredient could be located. I went back to tell her where to look and bid farewell again.

Once I found my parents I told them about my encounter. They thought it was amusing and sweet. A few minutes later we ran into Mrs. Burns, and I introduced Mom & Dad. Mrs. Burns began to gush to my parents about meeting me. I just stood there, taken aback by her delight. Then she asked my mom a question out of left field. She wanted to know the name of Mom's doctor. She said her son was a doctor and she was always on the lookout for new patients for him. She then told us that Dr. Burns was an OB/GYN and practiced in the next town over (30 minutes away).

I wish you could have seen the looks on Mama's and Daddy's faces. This prompted the first words from my father since the initial introductions. He shook his head and said, "We don't need any of those kind of doctors anymore."

Mrs. Burns went on to say that what she really wanted was to introduce me to her son. She told me that he made several hundred thousand dollars a year. With a wink she asked if I thought I could live on that amount. She continued to tell Mama that she was impressed with me and thought it would be a great idea to get their two children together.

By this point I had been standing for several minutes without uttering a word and had gone through every shade of embarrassment visible to the human eye. Finally, I turned to Daddy and tugged on his elbow. Playfully, I said, "Daddy, this would be a good time for you to come to my rescue." Daddy, not sure of what to make of the meeting, just laughed and said, "Rescue you? I want to get rid of you."

My hero. (I may have to amend a previous post about this man.)

Mrs. Burns then turned to me and explained that several years ago arranged marriages were the norm. She continued by saying that many arranged marriages were not only successful but quite happy. Finally, I was invited to her home the following Saturday to help her in the kitchen. Mrs. Burns said she was cooking for her entire family that day and would love my company. To be honest, I'm sure it would have been.

Then Mrs. Burns told my mom that she was sure she sounded as if she were a little crazy, but she just wanted the best for her son. She said she prayed for her son everyday, including prayers for a godly wife. She told my mom that she thought I was adorable and she would be proud to have me for a daughter-in-law. Mrs. Burns said that in those few minutes she was sure of my character and personality, and she was convinced I would be a great choice.

WOW!

I must say that I've never had that impression on a person before. I wish I could figure out exactly what I did and duplicate it when needed. Not that it would do much good. As I explained to my mother, I'm great with seniors, so I don't think the same would work with their sons. At least it hasn't so far.

Before we left Mrs. Burns wrote down her name, address, and phone number in case I was free that Saturday. She then asked me for my name again. Mom was johnny-on-the-spot. She smiled big and said, "Tauna. T-A-U-N-A."

As we walked away my daddy leaned over and whispered, "I think you were just proposed to... by the mama." He got a soft elbow to the ribs. Mama simply asked, "So which apron do you want me to iron for you to wear Saturday?"

Funny.

A few days later we, along with everyone else on the street, received a flyer from the medical center in the next county. And guess who's picture was in the flyer?

I walked into the living room to see my parents huddled over something. They looked up at me and smiled from ear to ear. I knew something was up and asked what they were doing. Daddy laughed and asked if I wanted to see a picture of my fiancee.

I didn't help Mrs. Burns cook that Saturday. My brother and his family came for a visit.

So that's the story. I love all you guys. I'll try to let you know what is happening in my new world as soon as I can.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Oh how I wish I had a computer at Mom & Dad's. I am SO behind on reading and writing blog posts.

So how about a little teaser...

On my 8th day back in Arkansas I received a marriage proposal - kind of. Oh is was quite serious to the party making the marriage suggestion. However, I could only stand with eyes wide, mouth open, AND NOT A SINGLE WORD ESCAPING. How often am I at a loss for words???

The funniest thing about this is who made the proposition. The SECOND funniest thing is that a couple of months ago my bff in Ft. Smith told me that I would probably move back to AR and find my husband. I bet she didn't think I could do it in 8 days!

But that's not all! There is a THIRD funniest thing about this as well. The morning of the pseudo-proposal my mother and I sat praying together and she prayed these words; "Lord let Your plan explode in Tauna's face so that it is obvious and can't be missed."

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hi friends. Sorry I've been gone so long from the blog. As stated, there are lots of updates. Here's the bullet point version:

I lost my job last week. I had been working at the same temp assignment for a year and a half but they laid off all temporary workers and a few full time employees too. The temp agency has absolutely no assignments in sight and said it would be doubtful to find any work other than for a day or two between now and the end of the year. This news leads me to my next point...

I'm moving home to Arkansas. This is something I've known God has been calling me to for a while now. I must say that leaving Nashville makes me sad. I LOVE NASHVILLE!!!!!!! (too subtle?) However, I have to say that I love my family more and I've lived away for them for a very long time. It's time. So amazing friends I ask for your prayers for a great job and place to live in Little Rock or North Little Rock. Thank you.

I'm having my wisdom teeth cut out tomorrow afternoon. Typically this wouldn't be a big deal. I know it's pretty routine - but not for me. There are a few reasons this isn't so common for me. First, each of my two lower teeth have a serious infection and one is fully impacted to boot. Next, my top teeth are also fully impacted, turned sideways, and have invaded my sinus cavities. Nice. When the procedure is finished I will have holes in my sinuses that should heal fine but will add a little something extra to the recovery process! Yay!

However, none of that compares to the biggest reasons this is not so common for me. You see, I've never had stitches and I've never had an IV. I've also never been admitted to a hospital either. And before anyone wants to wish me soothing words of comfort allow me to reassure you that I'm not nervous about the stitches and IV. Honestly, I'm ready to get these things out of my head. The last 4.5 months of EVERYday pain is quite a motivator.

No, I'm not nervous. I'm irritated that I'm ruining my stitches & IV streaks. As the Queen of Clumsy, Clumsy Spice, or Clumsy Smurf I have had a great deal of satisfaction in the fact that I have such long running streaks... especially compared to my less and non-clumsy friends. I held on to my "no broken bones" record until I was 36. Pretty good eh? Oh well, at least they don't have to admit me. That's one record I can hang on to. (And don't tell me to knock on wood. I'm not the least bit superstitious.)

So that's the bulk of my news for now. Wait, there's one more thing. The computer at home is on the fritz. I am at the library to use the internet. That means I don't have great access to email or blogger.

I'll try to post as soon as I'm able. Thank you for your prayers. I sure love you guys!

Monday, November 10, 2008

This weekend was full of fun and loads of amazing color. I want to share some of the photos with you. (Disclaimer: The camera I used is 5mp as opposed to the 10mp one used for the previous photo shoots. Still, the pictures are sweet and worth sharing.)

The 1st two pictures were taken Friday on my way to work. The color was beautiful against the stormy sky.

Saturday Stacy and I went for a walk on the greenway. The scenery was gorgeous. We walked for over 6 miles. I could have walked 5 more easily with the fun company and great venue.

This is an abandoned house. I wonder what dinner was like when this house was young and full of life.

Stunning yellow. I just adore God's creativity!

A great barn. There are more shots of this sweet building.

This is my favorite photo of the barn.

It looks as if we are meandering down a country road but we are still in Nashville just yards away from traffic and the clamor of retail and sports.

This is a small, fenced cemetery of a revolutionary soldier and his family along the "country road" we walked. You could see kids playing soccer at the YMCA from the opposite direction of this photo.

This leaf was about 9" in diameter!

Along the greenway.

The actual greenway trail. It's so pretty this time of year.

These next few shots were taken along McGavock Pike on my way home from church yesterday.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I've been nudged by a few peeps to provide a new post. Unfortunately all I have to offer is the promise of a new post soon. Who knows what it may be about or when it will hit... maybe as soon as this afternoon.

I have a few things (ok, a bunch of things) in operation but will add a post soon. I promise. Until then enjoy this fun shot of my day at the mall with three wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, fun, encouraging, beautiful 15 year olds - MM, MW, & AB.

Trying on rings at Forever XXI. Such fun. Can you guess which hand is mine? Hint: it's the old one. HA!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Last night there was an exquisite, full moon. The photograph doesn't do it justice by any stretch. I wish I had the proper equipment (and know-how) to have been able to capture the beauty God placed in the sky last night.

For those that missed it, let me describe the view from middle Tennessee. Our sky was filled to capacity with clouds. But these weren't mountainous, corpulent clouds. Instead, the sky looked as if it had been covered in a thick, luxuriant down comforter. The clouds stretched over the entire sky and moved at a significant pace. There were a few rips in the fabric from time to time but the blanket remained intact for the most part. Despite the prominent cloud cover the moon was so brilliant it shone through clearly.

By now you are wondering why I spent so much time looking at the moon. Well, I've been watching the moon for the last 4 nights waiting for it to be full. You see full moons are special. And I don't mean special in the way my friend Cara would convey. (Cara is an ER nurse and full moons mean something altogether different to her.)

Each month, during the full or new moon my daddy and I call each other and look at the moon together. And since Daddy works nights we are able to do this rather easily. I don't remember how this little tradition got started but we have been doing it for years. When there is a full moon and the phone rings late in the evening we know who will be on the other end.

I know what most of you ladies are thinking. "Ahhhhh. That is so sweet." (I say ladies because I seriously don't think there are any guys, to which I am not related, reading this blog.) And you ladies would be spot on. It is sweet. This is a sweet, sometimes funny, always enjoyable occasion with my daddy. In fact, we've spoken on the phone for the last 4 nights in anticipation of our prize.

Somewhere along the way this little ceremony was no longer reserved for full moons. Now any time the moon is particularly nice or interesting we call each other. I remember once when the entire moon was visible but only 1/4 of it was actually bright and shining. I called Daddy and said, "Daddy you should see the moon. It looks like it has a French manicure." His response was, "What? I don't know that is!" HA! Do you guys remember the post about my Marine Corps Daddy? Why in the world did I think he would know what I was talking about.

So, last night I called Daddy at 11:04 to look at the moon. His shift ends at midnight so I had plenty of time to catch him before I went to bed. There was just one, itty-bitty problem. Daddy wasn't at work. He was in bed. I had gotten so wrapped up in watching our treasure that I forgot it was Daddy's night off. When he answered the phone I heard a small commotion. He had knocked all the pictures over on the side table trying to answer the phone. I felt dreadful. However, Daddy didn't mind at all. He was happy to talk to me about our moon.

The moon will be beautiful again tonight if the storm clouds allow. I want to encourage you to go out and enjoy a glimpse of God's creativity, and maybe start some traditions of your own.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Last Saturday I spent the day with sweet friends. We started the day by taking casual, family photos then we went to lunch, rode bikes, and washed cars. Good times! Here is a small sampling of the pictures.

Random Images From My Life

About Me

Hi, I'm Tauna and welcome to creative confetti. It's my miscellaneous musing on family, friends, photography, faith, and fun.
I'm a Southern girl who loves sweet tea with lime, dark chocolate, all things creative, and my amazing Jesus. And I love to laugh until I lose my breath.
If you are one of those people who always have 15 projects going at once, you will feel right at home here. You can share in the stories of my cah-razy family, and watch as I try to learn how to use my first big-girl camera. We'll talk about the love God has poured down on me, and how no one can seem to get my name correct.
Maybe you will laugh, learn a new craft trick (or leave one for me), or share a prayer request. Whatever the case, I'd love to hear from you in the comments, through email, or on my facebook page- Creative Confetti (WEBSITE).
Thanks for joining me on my clumsy trip through life as I chase God's whisper.